Burning Waste? Don’t Make These Mistakes

Burning rubbish might seem like a quick, easy way to get rid of waste. But, as with most things, it’s not quite that simple. Burning the wrong kind of waste can be damaging to your health, the environment – and it could land you fines.

What Household Waste is Safe to Burn?

✅ Solid wood items
✅ Timber
✅ Dry leaves

Solid wood, dry leaves and timber are all safe to burn. MDF, chipboard and composite particle boards that behave and look like wood should never be burned, and neither should any furniture made from those materials. That’s because the bonding agents used to glue all the particles or layers together becomes a toxic vapour when burned, which can severely impact health if inhaled.

Paper’s okay to burn (as long as it isn’t the glossy, magazine type) but you can recycle or even compost paper, which is much easier and better for the environment. And that’s about it – it’s safe to burn solid wood and printed, non-glossy paper. Everything else is restricted.

Restrictions and Regulations

As the government puts it, you can legally build and light a bonfire on your property, as long as it doesn’t harm or pollute. Household waste is not allowed to be burned, and if your bonfires become a nuisance, then the law will be brought into action.

Burning harmful waste can produce thick, opaque and seriously harmful smoke – and if this is allowed to drift over traffic, it could cause an accident. There are heavy fines in place if you allow this to happen. Plastics and electronics burn with acrid, toxic smoke and should never be added to a fire – these must be responsibly disposed of at a recycling centre.

When to Hire a Skip or Tipper

Burning isn’t actually a very good way to deal with waste, and should only be done if there’s no way to reuse, recycle or recover it. Burning waste for energy – like for barbecues, kindling or in a wood burner – is slightly better, but not everyone has the kind of waste that would lend itself to those jobs (or the need for dirty heat).

Instead of burning, dispose of your waste with Aasvogel. We can collect most waste types in a convenient way that fits your needs.

If you live in a densely packed area, where burning could cause a nuisance or risk to traffic, then you could hire a skip or use our man with a van service. In cases where you need bulky waste taken away quickly, without permits or taking up space on your property, hire a man with a van – for longer jobs, hire a skip.

We recycle 95% of the waste we collect – so you can be sure your waste won’t be waste for long.